42 (Blu-ray/DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy Combo Pack)

Plaaaay Ballll!
"Plaaaay Ballllll!" Yes, the Boys of Summer are at it again and this time, I learned a LOT about where American baseball has been and the fundamental changes that have happened in my lifetime. Even though we already know how it ends, thanks to a terrific PG-13 script by Brian Helgeland (Oscar for "L.A. Confidential") this insight into the Great American Pastime is an excellent reminder of how far we have come, thanks to courageous trail blazers like Jackie Robinson, who integrated professional baseball in 1945 at the instigation of Branch Rickey, a baseball executive who loved the game.

We cringe at the language used to attack our hero, we are saddened by the refusal of hotels and restaurants to serve a team that includes a black man, we are enraged by the racist heckling that takes place and we cheer when we see a man quietly rise above the rancor and "just play ball."

Here is a sample of the (huge) wonderful cast:
* Chatwick Boseman ("The Express" and...

Tale of Real Life Heroism
When I was a kid Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey were history, I read about them in books. But my baseball heroes were Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins, to me they were always just baseball players, their being black wasn't a factor in either my liking or disliking of them, and "42" brings home the truly heroic effort and forces Jackie Robinson had to overcome.

"Sports movies" are best when they're a metaphor for other areas of our lives. "Field of Dreams" isn't really about baseball, "Rocky" isn't really about boxing, and "Hoosiers" really isn't about basketball. What those movies speak to are other forces in our lives that hopefully bring out the best in us, and while "42" isn't metaphorical it speaks directly to our views of race and racism.

"42" takes place between 1946 and 1948 when Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) brought Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the Brooklyn Dodgers and integrated baseball. The plot is as simple as that, the story isn't...

A good movie about a great baseball player.
When I was growing up, I listened to baseball on my radio at night and found myself imagining who these players were and what their lives were like. When I finally saw pictures of these men, I didn't think it was so strange that only one was a black man and the rest were white. Being a child from the midwest, I had no realization what the significance of that would be until later in my life. I enjoyed watching this movie as it took a trip back into time and helped give insight into the world of major league baseball and the men like Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson who had the courage and grace to help this country take that giant step forward. As Dr. King said, this country should truly be about the content of your character and not the color of your skin. This is more than a movie about the all American game of baseball, this is a movie about us, about who we were, where we have been, and where we are going. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

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